Barbers charged with selling stolen, fake goods out of shop

By Brad Bell
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A shoe taken from the barber shoe. (Photo: Brad Bell)

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Police say a quartet of men they arrested in a Prince George’s County barbershop was way out of harmony with the law. A special unit which has been combing the streets for stolen goods clipped the operation in a raid Wednesday night.

Police say the back room of the shop was packed with hot merchandise for sale. The four barbers are charged with peddling the pilfered products. The stuff, $125,000 worth, now fills a police conference room.

Ironically shampoo is not among the goods they were allegedly selling at nouveau hair. The inventory includes knock off designer watches, jeans and shoes as well as stolen cell phones, GPS units and the item that has become like liquid gold on the streets: Tide laundry detergent.

“The liquid Tide story has gone national. It’s such a problem across the country,” says Julie Parker, spokeswoman for the Prince George’s County police. “Locally, there are some stores that won’t sell the product because it gets stolen just that often.”

The police operation didn’t put the barbershop out of business. The owner rents chairs to hair cutters, one of whom said he knew nothing of the illicit retail operation.

One longtime customer said he had no clue anything illegal may have been going on.

“I come here quite often the answer is no - I have never seen that happen,” says customer Bryan Cox. “In fact, the owner of this establishment is a devout Christian and if that was going on he wouldn't allow it to occur.”